St David's
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This page is about the city. For the patron saint of Wales, see Saint David.
| St David's | |
| Welsh: Tyddewi | |
  St David's shown within the United Kingdom |
|
| Population | 1,797 (2001 census[1]) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Principal area | Pembrokeshire |
| Ceremonial county | Dyfed |
| Constituent country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HAVERFORDWEST |
| Postcode district | SA62 |
| Dialling code | 01437 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| European Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | Preseli Pembrokeshire |
| List of places: UK • Wales • Pembrokeshire | |
St David's (Welsh: Tyddewi) is the smallest city in the United Kingdom, with a population of under 2,000 people. It lies on the River Alun, on Saint David's peninsula in Pembrokeshire, Wales. St David's is the de facto ecclesiastical capital of Wales and birthplace of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales.
The area was originally known in the Welsh language as Mynyw or Menevia in Latin and was later renamed in honour of the Saint. The city is built around St David's Cathedral, which in the Middle Ages was a popular place of pilgrimage. Next to it, the 14th century Bishop's Palace is a ruin now in the care of Cadw and open to visitors. It was once a marcher borough. Owen, in 1603, described it as one of five Pembrokeshire boroughs overseen by a portreeve.[2]
Tradition states that St David was born to Saint Non at what is now St Non's, a ten minute walk south of the city, in about 500 AD. It is also said that he was baptised at Porthclais, now the city's port, and that he founded the city in around 550 AD. Pope Calixtus II decreed that two pilgrimages to St Davids was equal to one to Rome. Because of this a vast income was raised by visiting pilgrims in the Middle Ages.[3] Saint Non's Well overlooks the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and St Brides Bay. The dramatic Cambrian cliffs make this a popular spot for walkers and sea-kayakers.
Other than the cathedral, attractions in the city include the 13th century Tower Gate, the Celtic Old Cross and a number of good art galleries. St David's is also a popular base for walking and water sports. It has several hotels and a youth hostel, and a number of pubs, including The Farmer's Arms.
St David's is the only city in the United Kingdom to lie entirely in a national park[4] , the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, and it lies near the Pembrokeshire Coast Path.
St David's hosted the National Eisteddfod in 2002.
The St David's lifeboat, located at St Justinian, has saved numerous lives since the first lifeboat was located there in 1869. Indeed a number of heroic lifeboatmen here have lost theirs in pursuit of saving others. The dangers are due in the main to the treacherous reefs and formations off the coast together with the unpredictable Irish Sea conditions.[citation needed]
The entire coastline around St David's forms part of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
Local agriculture has declined in recent years, with the once buoyant crop of Pembrokeshire first early new potatoes having largely died out due to pressure from the supermarkets.[citation needed]
The local football (soccer) team is St. David's City F.C.
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[edit] People from St David's
Henry Hicks (born 1837-died 1899), a Welsh physician, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS), President of the Geological Society and Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). He studied the Precambrian rocks of Anglesey, Caernarvonshire and Pembrokeshire, the Devonian rocks of Devon and Somerset, and cave deposits in Denbighshire. He was born on the 29th of May 1837 at St Davids, followed in the footsteps of his father Thomas Hicks and studied medicine at Guy's Hospital, and then practised in St Davids from 1862 until 1871. The musician David Gray was a pupil at St Davids School.
[edit] References
- ^ Office for National Statistics Parish Headcounts: St David's and the Cathedral Close
- ^ Owen, George, The Description of Penbrokshire by George Owen of Henllys Lord of Kemes, Henry Owen (Ed), London, 1892
- ^ history.uk.com: St Davids day, Pembrokeshire Retrieved on 2008-02-16
- ^ bbc.co.uk: Wales history Retrieved on 2008-02-16
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- St Davids City Council
- St David's at www.visitpembrokeshire.com
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of St Davids and surrounding area
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